Grayscale introduces AI crypto sector, marking a strategic expansion into one of the most rapidly growing frontiers in blockchain and tech. The digital asset management giant unveiled its Artificial Intelligence Crypto Sector, the sixth classification in its cryptocurrency taxonomy, joining the ranks of Currencies, Smart Contract Platforms, Financials, Consumer & Culture, and Utilities & Services.
This new sector features 20 tokens dedicated to building or enabling artificial intelligence applications on decentralized infrastructure.
“The addition of the Artificial Intelligence Crypto Sector reflects the growing importance of decentralized systems in shaping the future of this critical technology,” Grayscale stated in the announcement.
Structure of Grayscale’s AI Crypto Sector
The newly launched category includes projects split into three distinct subtypes:
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AI Platforms — Infrastructure and engines to build AI-native applications
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AI Tools and Resources — Support services and development utilities
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AI Applications and Agents — End-user use cases and smart agents
Together, these projects total $21 billion in market capitalization. While the AI sector is currently the smallest in Grayscale’s taxonomy, representing only 0.67% of the entire crypto market, it’s showing exponential growth.
In Q1 2023, the entire sector was worth just $4.5 billion — that’s a 4x+ increase in under two years.
Leading AI Tokens: From TAO to Worldcoin
The AI crypto sector by Grayscale is led by Bittensor (TAO), with a market cap of $3.8 billion. Other notable entrants include:
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NEAR Protocol (NEAR)
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Render Network (RNDR)
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Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET)
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Virtuals (VIRTUAL)
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Worldcoin (WLD)
Interestingly, both Virtuals and Worldcoin were previously included in other Grayscale sectors but were later delisted — only to now re-emerge under the AI classification, reflecting their strategic repositioning.
Decentralized Intelligence Has Room to Grow
Although decentralized AI crypto tokens currently make up a small portion of the crypto market, Grayscale is signaling strong future demand. With generative AI reshaping digital landscapes and blockchain offering censorship-resistant compute and data storage, the AI crypto sector is poised to evolve from niche to necessity.
